After 17 Days, Thai Football Team is Finally Out of The Cave

People on the street cheered & clapped when ambulances ferrying the boys arrived at the hospital in Chiang Rai city.

The last four Thai Navy SEALS come out of the cave

(Photo: Royal Thai Navy)

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma

All 13 members of the Thai football team, the ‘Wild Boars’ were successfully rescued from the flooded Tham Luang cave located in the Chiang Rai province of Thailand, on 10 July.

The team was rescued after being stuck in the cave for 17 days. Rescue operations were carried out in three phases conducted on the 8, 9 and 10 July respectively. The first four boys were rescued on the first, while another four were rescued on the second.

The Thai Navy SEALS were at the centre of the rescue operations.

According to AP, Cheers erupted at a local government office where dozens of volunteers and journalists were awaiting news of whether the intricate and high-risk rescue mission had succeeded. Helicopters taking the boys to a hospital roared overhead.

People on the street cheered and clapped when ambulances ferrying the boys arrived at the hospital in Chiang Rai city.

The Thai Navy Seals posted on Facebook shortly after rescue ops concluded:

We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave.

The boys, who had no prior diving experience were guided out of the cave by a pair of divers, despite diving experts claiming that getting the boys to escape by diving is potentially risky.

A Thai navy SEAL died on 6 July due to lack of oxygen while conducting rescue operations. So, the escape route contained oxygen tanks at regular intervals to replenish the team’s air supply.

The ‘Wild Boars’ along with their coach were trapped as they were exploring the cave complex on 23 June and torrential rains blocked their way out. The team members aged between 11 and 16 while the coach was 25.

The boys were found by British divers on 2 July, taking refuge in a partly flooded muddy bank which was located quite far from the entrance of the cave.

Rescue operations began after 13 days of planning and pondering regarding how to get them out safely.

"If this place had a roof, the morale has gone straight through it,"  said John Tangkitcharoenthawon, a local village chairman who was working as a volunteer in the rescue op.